Improvement in grain-binders



Y 2 Sheetsosheet 7. CHARLES B.W1TH|NGTGN.

improvement in Grain Binders No. \23,967, Patented Feb. 20,1872.

ZSheelts--Sheet-Z. CHARLES B. WTHINGTON.

Improvement in Grain Binders..

No. 123,967. Patented Feb. 20,1872.

PATENT QEErcE.

CHARLES B. WITHINGTON, OF `.IANESVILLIL WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-BINDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,967, dated February 20, 1872.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GHARLEs B. WITHING- TON, of Janesville, in the county of Rock and Statel of Wisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Binding Attachment for Iteapers;

and I do hereby declare that the following is a .apron so that the grain may be raked from the said apron to the said binding attaclnnent, of a revolving, twisting, and cutting head and a condensing and wire-carrying arm, under an arrangement whereby two wires, supplied from two separate spools in opposite directions, the one. through the twisting-head and the other through the condensing and carrying arm, twisted together between the said two devices at the beginning, when the condensing-arm is in the position for receiving the gavel, may be automatically passed around the bundles and twisted thereon in an efficient way, the attendant being only required to connect and disconnect the operating mechanism with the driving-gear. of the reaper from time to time as the grain accumulates in a way common to such machines. The invention also consists in an improved arrangement ot twisting-head for twisting and cutting the wires; also, in an improved arrangement of condensing and wire-carrying arms; also, in an arrangement of operating devices for driving the twisting-head.

Figure lis a longitudinal sectional elevation of lny improved binding attachment, showing the position when receiving the gavel previous to the movement of the condensing-arm. Fig. 2 is a similar sectional elevation, showing the position after the bundle is completed and previous to the cutting of the wires. Fig. 3

is a detail on the same section, showing the position when the gavel has been condensed and previous to twisting. Fig. 4i. is a plan view. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken on the line :v x of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view ot' the operating-gears of the twistinghead, and Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 6.

lSimilar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

A is the supporting-frame of the apparatus, adapted for connection to the reaper at the side ofthe apron by bolting through the part B, and arranging it so that the shield extension O will project along the top ot the apron in the direction the grain is to be received from, and serve as a shield to prevent it from catching and clogging on the condensingarm D, hinged at D1 to the base B, and arranged to swing down and lie in a slot provided for it in the shield C, as shown in Figs. l and 4. This condensing-arm is provided with an eye, D2, at the swinging end, and two projections, D3 and D1, on the upper face below theeye; it is also provided near the hinged end with a link, D5, hinged to it, and connected to a crosshead, D, arrangedl to slide back and forth in the slotted guides D7 placed on the base B. This cross-head has a bolt, D8, projecting downward through the base B for the connection of a. pitman-rod or other reciprocating device to be connected to the reaping-machine in any way, to be set into motion and thrown out again when it is required that the condensing-arm shall move. D9 is another link, hinged at one end to the condensing-arm, the other end being arranged to slide back and forth on the link D5 to act in conjunction with the braces D10 and D11 of the vertical part E of the frame for compressing the gavel into as small compass as possible previous to the binding operation. The twisting-head consists of two small pinions, a a1, journaled, one above the other, between plates a2 a3, a drivin g-wheel, a4, and a sliding catch-bar, a5, all supported on the top of the braces D11 in such a position that the wire F, carried by the condensing-arm D, maybe pressed between two of the teeth of the pinions when it is moved up after receiving the gavel, the said plates a2 and a3 being notched in the projecting ends, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, to guide the end of the arm properly. The spaces between the teeth of these pinions are cut deep enough to receive the wire and` carry it around without crowd ing the teeth of the driving-wheel a4, and shoulders are turned on the teeth on the upper side of the pinion al and the lower side ot the pinion c to form the journals for the said pinions in the plates c2 and a3 of sufficient size to provide space between the walls of the holes in the said plates, wherein the pinions work, and the bottoms of the grooves between the teeth for the wires to be carried around by the pinions after being received in the said grooves. F1 is another wire, carried from the spool in the direction of the arrow F2 through the guide-eye F3 and down in front ofthe pinions, as shown at F4, to the point F5, where it is joined by twisting to the end ot' the wire F in beginning the operation. lThese pinions both gear with the wheel c4, to be turned by it in the twisting operation during nearly one revolution ofthe saine. This wheel is turned by the beveled pinion G, to the shaft of which it. is connected, and the said pinion gears with a large beveled wheel, G1, to the back ot' which a slotted wheel, G2, is connected, which has six, more or less, radial slots, G3, to which mo tion is to be imparted intermittingly by a wheel with one tooth, arranged on any part of the machine so as to be thrown into gear or out by hand-levers or otherwise with any constantly-moving part, and to gear with the said slotted wheel so as to move it the distance be tween two slots at one revolution ot' the said oneftoothed wheel. rlhe said one-toothed wheel, gearing' with this slotted wheel, is also designed to so act with the sections between the slots ofthe wheel G2, which are curved to iit the periphery ot' the one-toothed wheelV for the most part ot' its circumference, that the said wheel G2 will be arrested by the other and prevented from turning until lthe part of the other wheel bearing the tooth gearing with the slots arrives at the point for engaging in one ofthe slots G3. l/Vhen the tooth ot' the driving-wheel leaves the slot wherein it has engaged to turn the wheel G1", the next slot is 1n the right position for receiving the tooth in its next movement. The wheels G and G' are so calculated, in respect ot' the nu1nber of the. teeth, that the movement ofthe slotted wheel G2 one. stage will impart a full revolution to the wheel c4. This wheel c4 has three or more teeth removed, as at H, Fig. 4, and at the lower side, and in advance ot' the cavity ll, in the direction ofthe movement of the wheel, three or more teeth are cutaway when they act on the lower pinion a, so that just previous to the arrival ot' the cavity 1l, where the teeth are wholly removed at the pinions, the lower one will stop while thel upper one will continue. At the same time that the said lower pinion ceases to move a sliding pawl, I, arranged in a groove in the plate a3, and having a stud taking into a cam-groove, 11, in the lower face ofthe wheel c4, is moved forward to engage the teeth ot' the said lower pinion and hold it from-turning, so that the other, being continued in motion, will cut the wires previously twisted. rlhe gearing by which the wheel a4 is turned is also arranged so that when the said wheel stops the cavity H will front the pinions, lea-ving them free to turn independently ot' the said wheel, so that when the gavel is moved upon the condensingarm D by the rake and onto the binding-wires F F1, causing an increase of tension thereon,n the force ot' the said tension on the pinions will turn them so that the wire will be carried to the back side thereof', as shown in the dot ted line K, whereby, when the arm D rises up and engages the part F of the joined wires 'with the pinion, one part will be on one side and the other opposite. as shown in Fig. 3. Hence, when the twisting-pinions are setin motion, which takes place as soon as the wire F is presented, the wires will be twisted together above and below the pinions, one ofthe twists, Kl, securing the bundle, and the other, K2, uniting the wires ready for the next operation. The projections D3 and D4 at the end ot' the arm l) project above and below the pinions far enough to carry the wire to the bottom of the groove between the teeth receiving it. The wires F and Fl are wound on two separate hollow drums, L L1, on one shaft, L2; they have coiled springs L3 arranged in the hollow spaces, connected at one end to the shaft, as at L, and merely pressing at the other end L5 against the inner face otl the rims of the drums, being coiled closely so as to bear with considerable friction thereon. As t-he wires wind ott' in opposite directions, these springs are coiled in opposite directions also, and the spring t'or each drinn is arranged so as to have a tendency to force the drum in the direction to produce tension on the wire. As the wire is wound oft', and the drums turned thereby, the springs, owing to the friction ofthe outer coil on the inner face ofthe drums, will he for a short time wound up until the friction on the said face ceases to be greater than the tendency ot' the spring to uncoil, when the latter will slip back to the original position; and these operations will be continually repeated, main taining an even tension on the wires without requiring any adjustment of parts, and hold ing the shaft on which the drums are fixed from revolving either way. N represents a shield or guardl ot' thin sheet metal or other substance, hinged to the base B at O, passing over the twisting-head, and projecting beyond at l), so as to insure the passing of the straw under the projections ofthe plate a?, and prevent them t'rom passing over to the top ofthe twisting-head and clogging the same. The said guard-plate is slotted so as to drop down over the twistinghead, as represented in Fig. l. lt is raised by the end of the condensing arm l), when it goes up to deliver the wire to the pinions, sufficiently to allow the said arm to advance to the pinion, and drops down again as soon as the arm goes back.

This mode ot' forming the bands from two wires by twisting them around the bundle and together for the next band, and disposing the wires so that the gavel is delivered into the bight of the said wires, I consider' la very im portant element of my invention, for by it I am enabled to dispense with the complicated and expensive mechanism necessary for passand am thereby enabled to greatly simplify and cheapen binding mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as nenr and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The method herein described of binding grain or straw by the use of two Wires, which produce a double twist on the bundle, and which reconnect automatically for the binding of the next bundle, as specified.

2. The improved twisting and cutting head herein described, consist-ing of the pinions a al, Wheel a4, plates a2 and a3, and sliding pawl I, all combined, arranged7 and operating substantially as specified.

ing single wires or cords around the gavels;

Witnesses:

JAMES CHURCH, E. F. STAFFORD. 

